Causes Of Developmental Delays

Rolling over, sitting up, walking, talking...these are few of the important developmental milestones your child will have. If your child misses any of these milestones, it means that she is experiencing developmental delays. Most often, these developmental delays occur in more than one area. For example, if your child has speaking and language issues, she is also most likely to go through social and cognitive delays.

These delays in your little one’s development can be due to various factors. From preconception issues and prenatal infections to some kind of birth injury and low birth weight, many factors can result in the delays. However, these cause can be subsumed under four main categories, according to an article in livestrong.com:

• Genetic factors: These cause Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome and muscular dystrophy. These result in multiple delays in physical, communication and social development.

• Biological factors: These include hearing loss, vision loss, lead poisoning or head injuries.

The risk factors for developmental delays fall into two broad categories: Genetic or chromosomal abnormalities such as Down's syndrome or Fragile X syndrome and other disorders put a child at risk for developmental delays.

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Genetic disorders are the most commonly identified causal factor for intellectual and other disabilities and include single gene disorders, multifactorial and polygenic disorders, and chromosomal abnormalities.

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High-risk newborns, such as those with very low weight at birth, are more susceptible to developmental delays and subsequent disability than healthy newborns, say, Indian researchers, highlighting the gap in early diagnosis in rural settings.

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Low birthweight (LBW), with or without prematurity is a risk factor that contributes to developmental delays. Much research has been undertaken to determine the etiology of LBW and assess its impact on a variety of infant-toddler behaviours.

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All babies develop at different rates, but in some cases, developmental delays may be diagnosed with problems such as language or speech; vision; movement and motor skills; social and emotional skills; thinking and cognitive skills.

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Every child grows and learns at his own pace, and the range of what’s normal is pretty wide. It’s helpful, though, to know the signs that your child might not have the skills most other kids have at his age. Doctors call those problems development...